Chamber and committees

I have had no visual indication of that yet. Your colleagues would have to put something in the chat function.

I will bring in Mr Macpherson.

The second item on our agenda is evidence on the draft annual report laid by Scottish ministers on the exercise of the power in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021. We are joined remotely this morning by Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, and by George Macpherson, head of EU policy and alignment, Rosemary Greenhill, drinking water quality regulatory team leader, and Lorraine Walkinshaw, lawyer, from the Scottish Government.

I offer you all a warm welcome and I invite the cabinet secretary to make a brief statement.

Cabinet secretary? I do not think that he can hear me.

I am conscious that time is limited due to the cabinet secretary’s commitments. Every member of the committee wants to come in, so it would be helpful if members could be succinct and not repeat points that have already been made.

Thank you, cabinet secretary. We begin taking evidence on the retained EU law bill next week so, as a committee, we will be returning to that.

We move to questions from members on the annual report, starting with Donald Cameron.

Welcome back to the committee meeting. We will try to resume questions to the cabinet secretary. Cabinet secretary, if you could repeat the final few minutes of your opening statement, that would be very welcome, as we were not able to hear it.

Good morning, and welcome to the 26th meeting in 2022 of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee. Our first item is a decision on whether to take business in private. Do members agree to take item 3 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Cabinet secretary, I wonder—

Thank you very much, cabinet secretary. I confirm that we can hear you, and I hope that that will continue for the rest of the session and that there will be no more disruption.

I want to reflect, first of all, on the comments in your opening remarks about the research that our committee commissioned to inform the wider public and the Parliament about some of the decisions that have been made and some of the legislation that has been passed in the EU. We have also heard evidence that the Westminster dashboard does not seem to cover devolved areas. Do you agree that there needs to be more information? You say that the report is just part of the picture, but how can stakeholders, civic Scotland and so on examine the decision making that is taking place at the moment? Moreover, do you agree that it is almost as important to know what is not being taken forward by the Government as it is to know what is being taken forward?

Cabinet secretary, I am conscious of the time. Do you have any flexibility with regard to the time that you have available to stay with the committee?